Wednesday 30 March 2016

The 15 Best Things About Portsmouth








Those of us who live in Portsmouth know very well that it is a city unlike any other, a crowded island city on the South coast, with easy access to London or France. It is very easy to find tourist guides telling you what is great about the city but we decided to ask our teachers what they thought the best things about living in Portsmouth were. In no particular order, the results are below - we thought it made fun reading.



1. There are 3 railway stations (4 if you count Hilsea); Fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea, Portsmouth Harbour!
2. It has a low cost of living compared to other cities in the South.
3. It has great links to the Continent.
4. It has a fabulous cosmopolitan feel to it.
5. Portsmouth is very flat - perfect for cycling (which with the number of cars is a very sensible thing to do).
6. Within very easy reach of London.
7. The fantastic selection of restaurant - particularly down Albert road. Almost any type of food can be found in Portsmouth.
8. The 10th hole cakes (A tea room). These have to be seen to be believed, the quality is stupendous, the variety extraordinary and always mouthwatering!
9. It's a smaller city, so easier to get around.
10. You can jog by the sea.
11. The Pubs!
12. The Historic Dockyard museum - "one of the best I've ever been to!"
13. No: 6 Cinema - an art cinema which shows a huge variety of films you never get to see in the multiplex.
14. Pie and Vinyl. A fabulous shop where you can buy a massive variety of records or have one of their delicious lip licking pies, with mash and mushy peas.
15. Gunwharf shopping centre and nightlife.


Thursday 24 March 2016

Having Fun at LSI Portsmouth

 



Mug Painting

Our Social Programme is often full of exciting, fun and loud activities! From singing loudly at karaoke, to listening to live music at local venues or enjoying food from local restaurants, there’s always so much to do. But we also like to do relaxing activities which offer the students’ time to relax and unwind after a hard week of studying!

One of the most popular activities is mug painting. Recently a group of students (and staff) got together to get creative, and design and paint their very own mug. We listened to music, drank tea and spent hours designing and painting!

All of the students agreed it was very relaxing and fun, and the perfect way to spend the afternoon. After everyone was finished, Belle, our Social Programme Organiser, took the mugs home to bake them in the oven. This ensures the paint doesn’t chip or scratch, and the finished mugs stay in perfect condition even after 100 cups of tea!! As fun as the activity was, all the students now have their own personal souvenir to remind them of their time spent at LSI. It’s a unique and personal experience for all of our students. 

Friday 18 March 2016

How to Improve your Academic Writing Tip - No. 5



Here's another great tip from Robyn, our Pre-sessional Director of Studies, explaining why punctuation is so important when writing for academic purposes.

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Didn't They Do Well! DELTM, English UK and Cardiff.


We couldn't be more delighted to be able to congratulate Lea Brophy - The Vice Principal, Lewis Richards - Director of Studies (Exams) and Sue Hodgson - Assistant Director of Studies and Social Media Manager on passing their DELTM (Diploma in English Language Teaching Management) Qualification after nearly 18 months of studying.

They have been studying for this qualification since September 2014, completing five assignments, a project and ten monthly face to face sessions in London.  The course effectively ended when they handed in their final projects in November 2015 with their results being given in the first week of March.  The assignments and projects were then moderated by Trinity College, and the certificates were finally presented at the English UK Management conference held in Cardiff 10th and 11th March.



The conference was really informative, with many superb speakers giving talks.  One that had almost every person spell bound was from Geoff Burch, author, business expert and TV personality. His talk was inspiring, thought provoking and hugely entertaining.

Also, our own Lewis Richards gave a talk on observations which was very well received.

All in all, it was a great success and enjoyed by all who attended.

Monday 7 March 2016

How to Choose a Pre-Sessional Course - the 10 Important Points to Look For




In this video Robyn, our Pre-sessional Course Director explains the 10 important things you need to check for when deciding where to study English before you go to university.

Thursday 3 March 2016

The 10 Best Reasons to Come and Study at LSI Portsmouth.







We have spoken to students, and we have spoken to teachers, but this week we are talking to the Directors about what makes LSI Portsmouth such a special place to study.
Why should someone come and study at LSI Portsmouth? Why should someone come and study in Portsmouth? It's very clear, LSI Portsmouth really is one of the best schools around, with over 30 years experience, top quality teachers, fantastic accreditation, a large school but small classes, but overall, its a fun place to be - right in the centre of the Portsmouth the Island City!